Notifications

RELATED APPLICATIONS

0001This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. Section 120 as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/414,382, filed Mar. 30, 2009, and titled “Notifications,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

0002Mobile communications devices (e.g., wireless phones) have become an integral part of everyday life. For example, a user traditionally used mobile communications devices to place and receive telephone calls when the user was away from a fixed communication device, e.g., a house or office telephone. In some instances, the mobile communications device became the primary device via which the user communicated with other users as the user became accustomed to the convenience and functionality of the device.

0003Further, the communication techniques that may be employed using a mobile communications device have increased. For example, users were traditionally limited to telephone calls between mobile communications devices. Advances were then made to provide a variety of other communication techniques, e.g., text messaging and email. However, inclusion of these additional communication techniques on mobile communications devices having traditional form factors may cause these devices to become unwieldy and less suitable for mobile applications. For example, traditional input devices that were employed by these communication techniques may be less suitable when applied by traditional mobile communications devices.

SUMMARY

0004Unlock screen and notification techniques are described. In an implementation, an unlock screen is displayed by a mobile communications device that indicates that one or more keys of the mobile communications device are locked. If an input is detected at the mobile communications device to remove the lock, an animation is displayed that gives an appearance that the unlock screen is a page that is being turned and removing the lock of the one or more keys.

0005In an implementation, an unlock screen is updated of a mobile communications device to include notifications of events that have occurred since a last time the mobile communications device was locked. If a number of the notifications that are to be output on the unlock screen exceeds a specified number, the notifications are condensed into a single condensed notification to be output via the unlock screen that references a type and number of the notifications.

0006This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0007The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different instances in the description and the figures may indicate similar or identical items.

0008<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is an illustration of an example implementation of a mobile communications device in accordance with one or more embodiments of devices, features, and systems for mobile communications.

0009<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> illustrates an example implementation in which a gesture is used to unlock an unlock screen of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>.

0010<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates an example implementation in which a mobile communication device of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is unlocked after completion of the gesture.

0011<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> illustrates an example implementation in which the mobile communications device of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is shown as having the unlock screen configured to include a specified image.

0012<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> illustrates an example implementation of the mobile communications device of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> as outputting an unlock screen having a clock that illustrates the date and time in this instance.

0013<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> illustrates an example implementation of the mobile communications device of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> as outputting a full-screen notification.

0014<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> illustrates an example implementation of the mobile communications device of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> as arranging and outputting notifications for display in conjunction with the unlock screen <b>120</b>.

0015<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> illustrates an example implementation in which a notification is displayed singly as received and then displayed in conjunction with other notifications.

0016<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> illustrates the mobile communications device in an example implementation in which a notification that is assigned a medium priority is output with notifications that are assigned a low priority.

0017<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> illustrates an example implementation in which the mobile communications device <b>102</b> includes an emergency contact user interface.

0018<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> depicts a procedure in an example implementation in which an animation is displayed in conjunction with removal of a key lock of a mobile communications device.

0019<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref> depicts a procedure in an example implementation in which a clock is displayed.

0020<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 13</figref> depicts a procedure in an example implementation in which a condense mechanism is employed with notifications.

0021<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 14</figref> illustrates various components of an example device that can be implemented in various embodiments as any type of a mobile communication device to implement embodiments of devices, features, and systems for mobile communications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

0022Overview

0023The use of physical control descriptors (e.g., text, images of an action to be performed, and so on) on a mobile communication device that explain how to unlock a touch screen user interface (UI) may be limiting and tough to decipher. Likewise, conventional gestures that are virtualizations of mechanical switches may also be hard to learn and/or discover.

0024In one or more implementations, an unlock screen is described that acts like a piece of paper (e.g., vellum) that is curled up at the corner to unlock a mobile device. The corner may be animated to look like it is blowing in a soft breeze to call attention to the corner. To unlock the mobile device, a gesture may be performed that mimics a physical behavior of turning a page to unlock the mobile communications device. Therefore, in this example a user may readily ascertain how to unlock the mobile communications device without a text description or other physical control descriptor. While the phone is locked, the vellum may be used to partially disguise portions of a user interface (UI) behind it to increase visibility of a clock. For example, the vellum of the UI may be configured to be translucent to allow notifications (e.g., updates and alerts) to be at least partially visible from the underlying UI.

0025Additional techniques are also described may also provide a variety of functionality, such as serve as an outlet for user customization, display the time, display incoming communication-related notifications since the last time the device was locked, permit the user to perform emergency functions, secure phone content after certain time (e.g., a PIN lock), permit a device “wipe” if a PIN is entered incorrectly a predetermined number of times, provide an entry point for basic music playback control, provide a repository for unnoticed notifications, display notifications that a user has already seen, and so on, further discussion of which may be found in relation to the following description.

0026In the following discussion, a variety of example implementations of a mobile communications device are shown. Additionally, a variety of different functionality that may be employed by the mobile communications device is described for each example, which may be implemented in that example as well as in other described examples. Accordingly, example implementations are illustrated of a few of a variety of contemplated implementations. Further, although a mobile communications device having one or more modules that are configured to provide telephonic functionality are described, a variety of other mobile communications devices are also contemplated, such as dedicated messaging devices, music players, portable game devices, and so on.

0027Unlock Screen

0028<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is an illustration of an example implementation <b>100</b> of a mobile communications device <b>102</b> in accordance with one or more embodiments of devices, features, and systems for mobile communications. The mobile communications device <b>102</b> is illustrated as assuming a plurality of configurations, examples of which include a first configuration <b>104</b>, a second configuration <b>106</b>, and a third configuration <b>108</b>.

0029The mobile communications device <b>102</b> is further illustrated as including a first housing <b>110</b> and a second housing <b>112</b> that are connected via a slide <b>114</b> such that the first and second housings <b>110</b>, <b>112</b> may move (e.g., slide) in relation to one another. The first housing <b>110</b> includes a display device <b>116</b> (e.g., a touchscreen) that may be used to output a variety of data, such as a caller identification (ID), information related to text messages as illustrated, email, multimedia messages, Internet browsing, game play, music, video and so on. The second housing <b>112</b> is illustrated as including a keyboard <b>118</b> that may be used to provide inputs to the mobile communications device <b>102</b>. Although the keyboard <b>118</b> is illustrated as a QWERTY keyboard, a variety of other examples are also contemplated, such as a twelve key numeric pad.

0030In the example shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, the first and second housings <b>110</b>, <b>112</b> of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> are rectangular. For example, a plane defined by an outer surface of the display device <b>116</b> may be parallel to a plane of the first housing <b>110</b> that approximates a rectangle, which may be the same as or different from the plane defined by the display device <b>116</b>. In another example, the width and height of the plane taken from the first housing that is parallel to the other surface of the display device <b>116</b> are approximately square (e.g., one-to-one so as to be equilateral rectilinear). A variety of other examples are also contemplated.

0031In the first configuration <b>104</b>, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is closed such that the first housing <b>110</b> covers the second housing <b>112</b>. Consequently, the keyboard <b>118</b> disposed on the second housing <b>112</b> is covered and thus is not available to receive inputs from a user of the mobile communications device <b>102</b>. In an implementation, telephonic functionality is still available when the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is in the first configuration <b>104</b>, e.g., to receive and answer a telephone call via interaction with the display device <b>116</b> or other buttons disposed either of the first and/or second housings <b>108</b>, <b>110</b>.

0032In the second configuration <b>106</b>, the first housing <b>108</b> is moved (e.g., slid) “away” from the second housing <b>112</b> using the slide <b>114</b>. In this example configuration, a portion of the keys of the keyboard <b>118</b> is exposed such that the exposed keys are available to receive inputs from a user. In another implementation, however, use of the keys of the keyboard <b>116</b> is restricted until the mobile communications device <b>106</b> assumes the open configuration illustrated in the third configuration <b>108</b> to help prevent inadvertent inputs. In an implementation, the planes of the first and second housings <b>110</b>, <b>112</b> that are used to define the square form factor are parallel to each other, although other implementations are also contemplated.

0033In the third configuration <b>108</b>, the first housing <b>108</b> is moved further “away” from the second housing <b>112</b> using the slide <b>114</b>. In this example configuration, at least a majority of the keys of the keyboard <b>118</b> are exposed and are available to receive inputs from a user. Accordingly, the third configuration <b>108</b> may be considered an “open” configuration. In the illustrated implementation <b>100</b>, the display device <b>116</b> remains viewable by a user in each configuration, examples of which are shown in the first, second, and third configurations <b>110</b>, <b>112</b>, <b>114</b>.

0034The display device <b>116</b> is further illustrated as including an unlock screen <b>120</b> that once unlocked may reveal an underlying user interface <b>122</b>, unlock a key lock placed physical and/or displayed keys on the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, and so on. In the illustrated implementation of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, the first housing <b>110</b> is slid away from the second housing <b>112</b> to unlock keys of the mobile communication device <b>102</b>. When the keys are locked, mobile communications device <b>102</b> application functionality is not accessible and the device does not respond to keyboard <b>118</b> presses.

0035In the illustrated implementation <b>100</b>, the unlock screen <b>120</b> is animated in a manner mimicking a page being turned such that the user interface <b>122</b> is exposed as the first and second housings <b>110</b>, <b>112</b> are slid away from each other. For example, as shown in the second configuration <b>106</b> the unlock screen <b>120</b> is partially turned to reveal the user interface <b>122</b> underneath. In the third configuration <b>108</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, the user interface <b>122</b> is completely exposed as the mobile communications device <b>102</b> has assumed the “open” configuration and is ready to receive inputs entered via the keyboard <b>118</b> and/or display device <b>116</b>. In an implementation, the unlock screen <b>120</b> may mimic a layer of vellum that is partially translucent to reveal portions of the user interface <b>112</b> below, e.g., to display notifications and so on as further described in relation to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref>. The unlock screen <b>120</b> may also be unlocked using a gesture, further discussion of which may be found in relation to the following figure.

0036<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> illustrates an example implementation <b>200</b> in which a gesture is used to unlock the unlock screen <b>120</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. In the illustrated implementation, a first configuration <b>202</b> is shown in which the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is in a key locked state such that the display device <b>116</b> is not configured to receive inputs, e.g., a key press entered via a touchscreen.

0037A gesture is then initiated in the second configuration <b>204</b> by a user's hand <b>206</b>. For example, a finger of the user's hand <b>206</b> may be used to select a corner <b>208</b> of the unlock screen <b>120</b>, which in this instance is illustrated as an upturned corner of a page. The user's hand <b>206</b> (and more particularly the user's finger) may then be used to drag the corner <b>208</b> across the display device <b>116</b> to mimic turning the page as illustrated in the second configuration <b>204</b>.

0038Thus, a user may activate the animation and unlock sequence on the display device <b>116</b> by grabbing a touch target (e.g., the upturned corner of the page) and “dragging” it across the screen as shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>. The corner of the unlock screen <b>120</b> may visually follow the user's finger as it is dragged along the surface of the display device <b>116</b>, exposing some portion of a UI <b>122</b> “underneath” the unlock screen <b>120</b>, such as a PIN unlock pad if the user is removing a device lock (which is described in further detail below). Thus, the gesture may be used to remove a key lock (i.e., unlock) the mobile communication device <b>102</b> and enable interaction with the underlying user interface <b>122</b>.

0039<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates an example implementation <b>300</b> in which the mobile communication device <b>102</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is unlocked after completion of the gesture. Once the finger of the user's hand has crossed a threshold <b>302</b> (which in this instance is illustrated as seventy five percent of the way across the display device <b>116</b> from the touch target), the unlock screen <b>120</b> is removed. If the finger of the user's hand is removed before then, the unlock screen <b>120</b> may animate back as shown in the first configuration <b>202</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> and the key lock remains in place.

0040Once the threshold <b>302</b> is crossed at any point along the Y-axis by the finger of the user's hand <b>206</b> and the user releases the gesture (e.g., lifts the finger off the display device <b>116</b>), the unlock screen <b>120</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> may complete animating away by continuing a turn of the page and the key lock is removed thereby exposing the user interface <b>122</b>. If the user does not release the gesture (e.g., ceases the pan) and moves the finger of the user's hand <b>206</b> back toward the left side of the display device <b>116</b>, the corner animation may follow the finger of the user's hand <b>206</b>. Thus, a release of the touch target (e.g., the upturned corner of the unlock screen <b>120</b>) on the left side of the threshold <b>302</b> may result in the device remaining locked, similar to not having crossed the threshold.

0041The mobile communications device <b>102</b> may also keep a timer to track idle time, which may reset each time a user leaves the mobile communications device <b>102</b> idle. For example, when mobile communications device <b>102</b> is active (not in a locked state), ten seconds of non-interaction may result in dimming of the display device <b>116</b>. The mobile communications device <b>102</b> may then wait a specified amount of time before initiating the unlock screen <b>120</b> described previously.

0042If the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is already locked and the user illuminates the display device <b>116</b>, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may remain at full brightness for ten seconds before fading to half brightness. After ten or more seconds have elapsed without interaction, a full “key locked” state may be entered in which the display device <b>116</b> is turned off, which may be reversed by a user through pressing a hardware key. The timer may be reset if user selects the touch target (e.g., the corner <b>208</b> of the unlock screen <b>120</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>) and does not begin again until the user is no longer interacting with the mobile communications device <b>102</b>.

0043After entering the “key locked” state, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may preserve a state of an application that is executing on the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, such as an application that is displayed in the “foreground” of the user interface <b>122</b>. When the user unlocks the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, the user may be returned to the state of the application when the mobile communications device <b>102</b> was locked. In an implementation, downloads, message sending, music playing and other application processes initiated before the lock state may continue even if the display device <b>116</b> is locked. Further, an application may elect to change behavior if the display device <b>116</b> is locked, i.e., the unlock screen <b>120</b> is being employed. Examples include movie playback and games, which may pause if screen locks, further discussion of which may be found later in the description.

0044When a power key <b>304</b> is pressed, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may enter a key locked state and turn the display device <b>116</b> off. If the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is already locked and the mobile communications device <b>102</b> receives an incoming phone call, interaction with one or more of the hardware or software keys of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may be used to silence the ringer but does not turn the display device <b>116</b> off.

0045If the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is unlocked when a telephone call is received, a first tap on the power key <b>304</b> or interaction with another hardware or displayed key may silence the ringer. The mobile communications device <b>102</b> may remain unlocked and the timer restarted for screen timeout and device idle. A second press on the power key <b>304</b> may result in locking the mobile communications device <b>102</b> and turning the display device <b>116</b> off.

0046In an implementation, if the user has turned off or reset the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> starts in the key locked state if there is a device lock and a PIN is enabled. If not, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> proceeds directly to a home screen of the user interface <b>122</b> after reboot.

0047The key lock and the unlock screen <b>120</b> may be utilized in a variety of other instances. For example, if a proximity sensor indicates that the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is being held vertically during a telephone call, the display device <b>116</b> may be turned off and key lock turned on (i.e., the key locked state is entered) thereby initiating the unlock screen <b>120</b>. The key lock may turn off if the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is turned horizontally again.

0048<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> illustrates an example implementation in which the mobile communications device <b>102</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is shown as having the unlock screen <b>120</b> configured to include a specified image. In this implementation, the user may elect an image (which may be static or dynamic) to appear on the unlock screen <b>120</b>. In an implementation, this image appears in the background of the display device <b>116</b> and is fully visible if the mobile communications device <b>102</b> does not have a notification to output, e.g., low battery level as further detailed below.

0049The image may come from a variety of different sources. For example, the user may select from a library of images that are local to the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, which may be populated with default content, taken by an image capture device that is part of the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, and so on. A user may also access a web service <b>406</b> over a network <b>408</b> (e.g., the Internet) to access a library of images <b>412</b>, such as an online marketplace having wallpapers for sale, and download a particular image.

0050In an implementation, a particular image may be specified via a setting that is accessible from a settings screen. For example, the user interface <b>120</b> may output a selection screen to select an image from a locally stored gallery of wallpaper or to enter the photo gallery collection. After the user navigates to a gallery and selects an image for use for the wallpaper, the user may be presented with a confirmation screen to preview the image and confirm or cancel the use of the image. The image capture device <b>120</b> may resize the image to conform to the display device <b>116</b>, e.g., crop the image.

0051Output of images <b>404</b> by the mobile communications device <b>102</b> on the unlock screen <b>120</b> may also be dynamic. For example, a dynamic image may be selected via a “Use Favorites” section of a settings screen. If the user elects to “Use Favorites” and has images in the Favorites folder, the unlock screen <b>120</b> may display the images <b>404</b> in succession on the unlock screen <b>120</b>. In an implementation, when this feature is first selected, a first picture in a favorites folder is started on unlock. Each subsequent rotation takes a next image in the folder. Images may appear when button is pressed and a rotation animation may be employed in response to an input received via a key (e.g., a back key) to click through photos while in the key locked state.

0052If the user does not have images selected as favorites, selection of this option may cause the mobile communications device to output instructions to select images to go into the favorites folder before using this option. The mobile communications device <b>102</b> may then continue to use the previously selected image (e.g., a default wallpaper). If desired, the user may be given an option to navigate to a photo gallery on the mobile communications device <b>102</b> to populate the favorites folder before returning to the settings screen.

0053<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> illustrates an example implementation <b>500</b> of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> as outputting an unlock screen <b>120</b> having a clock <b>502</b> that illustrates the date and time in this instance. In the illustrated example, the unlock screen <b>120</b> may be output by the mobile communications device <b>102</b> as monochrome on the display device <b>116</b> to maximize visibility without using a backlight, thereby conserving battery resources.

0054The unlock screen <b>120</b> includes a clock <b>502</b> having a time and date, which is displayed in the center of the display device <b>116</b> in this example. Time may be updated continuously, regardless of whether display device <b>116</b> is turned on or off. This way, the clock remains up-to-date as soon as the display device <b>116</b> is turned on.

0055When the display device <b>116</b> is initiated (i.e., “turned on” or illuminated), the clock to consume a substantial portion of the display device. For example, as illustrated the clock <b>502</b> is illustrated as being displayed in the center of the display device. After a specified amount of time, the amount of the display area of the display device <b>116</b> consumed by the clock <b>502</b> may be reduced, such as by minimizing the clock <b>502</b> for display at a corner of the display device <b>116</b> as illustrated in the unlock screen <b>120</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>. In an implementation, the minimized clock may be selected to expand the view in the unlock screen <b>120</b>.

0056The unlock screen <b>120</b> also includes silhouettes <b>504</b>, <b>506</b>, <b>508</b> of notifications in the same places as the notifications are to appear in the user interface <b>122</b>. In an implementation, the unlock screen <b>120</b> is updated as notifications are to be output, e.g., a low battery condition, further discussion of notifications may be found in relation to the notifications section of the description.

0057Notifications

0058The unlock screen <b>120</b> may be leverage to output a variety of different types of notifications. Further, these types of notifications may be assigned a priority that may be used to determine how (and even whether) the notifications are to be output in conjunction with the unlock screen. For example, “high priority” notifications may be output using a “full screen”, i.e., the notification consumes a majority of an available display area of the display device <b>116</b>. Notifications that have a lesser priority may be managed and output in a manner that reflects this lesser priority. Thus, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may provide techniques to manage notifications in a dynamic way that address the priority of the notification as well as a relatively limited display area of the display device <b>116</b> of the mobile communications device <b>102</b>.

0059<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> illustrates an example implementation <b>600</b> of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> as outputting a full-screen notification. In this example, the unlock screen <b>120</b> is configured such that the user may address a particular type of notification without unlocking the mobile communications device <b>102</b>. For instance, this type of notifications may include an incoming phone call notification <b>602</b> as illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>, an alarm clock notification, and so on. In an implementation, these high priority notifications persist until the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is unlocked as previously described.

0060When this particular type of “high priority” notification has been addressed, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may return to the key locked state with the screen timer reset to power down the display device <b>116</b>. Thus, this particular type of “high priority” notifications may be output and interacted with out manually unlocking the mobile communications device <b>102</b>. The unlock screen <b>120</b> may also be configured to output notifications having a lesser priority, further discussion of which may be found in relation to the following figure.

0061<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> illustrates an example implementation <b>700</b> of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> as arranging and outputting notifications for display in conjunction with the unlock screen <b>120</b>. In an implementation, the unlock screen <b>120</b> is not configured to be an aggregate view of each of a user's unnoticed notifications. Rather, the unlock screen <b>120</b> may be configured to provide a summary view of each notification that is to be output since the last time the mobile communications device <b>102</b> was unlocked.

0062In a first configuration <b>702</b> of the example implementation <b>700</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>, notifications <b>704</b>, <b>706</b>, <b>708</b> of texts and a missed call are displayed in respective “talk balloons.” These notifications <b>704</b>-<b>708</b> are illustrated as obstructing an underlying image <b>502</b>, which is a clock in this instance, until the mobile communications device <b>102</b> has been unlocked.

0063The mobile communications device <b>102</b> may employ one or more techniques to arrange the notifications <b>704</b>-<b>708</b> such that the clock <b>502</b> is not occluded. In some instances, however, a number of notifications may be so great as to obscure each other as well as the clock <b>502</b>. Accordingly, a condense mechanism may be employed as shown in the second configuration <b>710</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>. In this example, a user of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may miss a call that would cause a notification <b>712</b> of the missed call as well as a notification <b>714</b> of a voicemail to be output. However, output of these notifications <b>712</b>, <b>714</b> with the notifications <b>704</b>-<b>708</b> may cause the unlock screen <b>120</b> to become cluttered to a point at which the notifications are difficult to view.

0064Accordingly, the condense mechanism may be employed to condense the notifications <b>704</b>-<b>714</b> into a single notification <b>716</b> that references each of the other notifications <b>704</b>-<b>714</b>. For example, the notification <b>716</b> in the second configuration <b>710</b> as illustrated references two missed calls, two text messages and a voicemail. Thus, the notification <b>716</b> enumerates a number and type of message that the user has not yet seen and readily informs the user as to “what was missed” since the unlock screen <b>120</b> was last unlocked. In an implementation, a setting may be provided by the mobile communications device <b>102</b> to disable display of particular types of notifications, e.g., permit or deny notifications according to priority.

0065Although these techniques has been described in relation to the unlock screen <b>120</b>, it should be apparent that these techniques may be applied to a wide variety of user interfaces, such as a home screen of the user interface <b>122</b> previously described to manage notifications.

0066<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> illustrates an example implementation <b>800</b> in which a notification is displayed singly as received and then displayed in conjunction with other notifications. This example implementation <b>800</b> illustrates first, second, and third configurations <b>802</b>, <b>804</b>, <b>806</b> of the mobile communications device <b>102</b>. In the first configuration <b>802</b>, the lock screen as output on the display device <b>116</b> includes three notifications <b>810</b>.

0067A SMS text is then received, which causes the mobile communications device <b>102</b> to assume the second configuration <b>804</b> in which a new notification <b>812</b> is output that corresponds to the new SMS text. Associated contact information <b>814</b> is also output that corresponds to a sender of the SMS text. In this example, the notification <b>812</b> and the information <b>814</b> as output in the second configuration <b>804</b> replace the output of the notifications <b>810</b> and image in the first configuration <b>802</b>, thereby calling attention to the notification <b>812</b>.

0068After a specified amount of time has passed, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> (and more particularly the unlock screen <b>120</b>) assumes the third configuration <b>806</b>. In the third configuration <b>806</b>, the notification <b>812</b> of the second configuration <b>804</b> is added to the notifications <b>810</b> of the first configuration <b>802</b>. In an implementation, the techniques of this implementation <b>800</b> may be leveraged with the condense mechanism of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> such that the third configuration <b>806</b> is not cluttered when the amount of notifications exceeds a specified amount.

0069<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> illustrates the mobile communications device <b>102</b> in an example implementation <b>900</b> in which a notification that is assigned a medium priority is output with notifications <b>810</b> that are assigned a low priority. As previously described, notifications may be assigned different priorities in a variety of ways, such as based as a likelihood of being of interest to a user at a particular point in time. Therefore, notifications may have a priority that changes over time.

0070The mobile communications device <b>102</b> may leverage these priorities in order to arrange the notifications on the unlock screen <b>120</b>. As illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref>, for instance, notifications <b>810</b> from <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> are displayed that include missed telephone calls and texts. Another notification <b>902</b> is also displayed that has been assigned a medium priority, which is illustrated as a reminder of a doctor's appointment in 15 minutes. Because the reminder has been assigned a medium priority, it is displayed in a layer “above” the layer of the low priority notifications. Although a calendar reminder has been described, it should be apparent that a wide variety of notifications may be assigned a medium priority, such as battery low indicators, an alarm clock, and so on.

0071In an implementation, notifications having a medium priority when displayed on the unlock screen <b>120</b> may not be interacted with out unlocking the mobile communications device <b>102</b>. If the user chooses to unlock the mobile communications device <b>102</b> rather than dismiss the notification <b>902</b>, the notification <b>902</b> (when assigned a medium priority) may persist on top of the notifications <b>810</b> having a low priority after the mobile communications device <b>102</b> has been unlocked.

0072Although the notification techniques have been described in relation to an unlock screen <b>120</b>, it should be readily apparent that these techniques may be implemented in a wide variety of user interfaces, such as in a home screen of the user interface <b>122</b> described previously.

0073Emergency Contact User Interface

0074<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> illustrates an example implementation <b>1000</b> in which the mobile communications device <b>102</b> includes an emergency contact user interface <b>1002</b>. When a mobile phone is locked (either key or device locked in which is pin is utilized to unlock the phone), it is required by law to enable emergency dialing. For the most part, a PIN-lock is phone is to protect a user's data and prohibit abuse of the phone's capabilities. Accordingly, techniques are described which are useful for returning a mobile phone or other mobile communications device to the owner, may help bystanders to help an owner of the mobile communications device in an emergency situation, and expedite the process of dialing an emergency number.

0075Use of conventional phones on the market relay on an assumption that users know and can dial emergency numbers to call them in an emergency situation. Additionally, conventional phone restrict dialing functionality to specific emergency numbers, rather than contacts that may be able to help. Techniques are described to download locally relevant numbers and make them directly accessible to users from an emergency contact user interface <b>1002</b> if the mobile communications device <b>1002</b> is device locked (e.g., via a PIN), which may make dialing these emergency numbers easier.

0076Additionally, these techniques may be used to give limited access to an “inner circle” of contacts for helping a user who might not be physically capable of unlocking the device, which may also assist in recovery of a lost device-locked phone. In an implementation, this information may be displayed in the emergency contact user interface <b>1002</b> while limiting access to personal data through the device lock.

0077The mobile communications device <b>102</b> is illustrated as including an emergency contact module <b>1104</b>, which is representative of functionality to form and output the emergency contact user interface <b>1002</b>. For example, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may be in a device lock state such that a PIN number is to be entered before access to underlying functionality of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is permitted. In this implementation, a user may still be able to call emergency telephone numbers from the unlock screen. For example, a user may switch to emergency calling mode by pressing a call key which may be implemented as a hardware key <b>1006</b>, a display of a key in a PIN entry screen configured to remove a device lock, and so on.

0078As illustrated, the emergency contact user interface <b>1002</b> may be output by the mobile communications device <b>102</b> to present a user with a list of contacts <b>1008</b> that may be dialed. In the illustrated implementation, emergency numbers are displayed at the top of this list, which may be updated based on the mobile communication device's <b>102</b> geographic location.

0079For example, a geographic location of the mobile communication device <b>102</b> may be determined by the mobile communications device <b>102</b> or other entity, such as a web service <b>1010</b>. The geographic position may be determined in a variety of ways, such as through a global positing system, through use of cellular towers that are used to communicate with the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, and so on. A web service <b>1010</b> may then provide contacts <b>1012</b> (e.g., emergency numbers) via the network <b>408</b> to the mobile communications device <b>102</b>. In another implementation, the contacts <b>1012</b> may be stored locally by the mobile communications device <b>102</b>.

0080The emergency contact user interface <b>1002</b> may also include “inner circle contacts,” which may be listed by first name solely in alphabetical order after the emergency numbers. The inner circle contacts may be specified in a variety of ways, such as through information associated with each contact through interaction with a “wizard.” If an inner circle contact has more than one telephone number, the number type may be displayed in parentheses after the name, e.g., “Mom (m)” and “Mom (h).” These contact number may also be used such that if a mobile communications device <b>102</b> is lost, a person that finds the phone may call the contact to locate the owner.

0081In the device locked state, selection of the representations of the contact <b>1008</b> initiates a phone call to the selected contact in limited call mode. If a user wants to access other phone functionality during the call, the user may be prompted with a PIN entry pad to enter a pin number. If a maximum number of PIN entries have already been attempted, the phone call is initiated and user may is not granted access to phone capabilities except to end the call. Although the emergency contact user interface has been described in relation to a device locked state, it should be readily apparent that this user interface may be employed in a variety of different ways, such as by a mobile communications device that is not in a locked state (e.g., by pressing a key to view emergency contacts).

0082Example Procedures

0083The following discussion describes techniques that may be implemented utilizing the previously described systems and devices. Aspects of each of the procedures may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. The procedures are shown as a set of blocks that specify operations performed by one or more devices and are not necessarily limited to the orders shown for performing the operations by the respective blocks. In portions of the following discussion, reference will be made to the previous sections and corresponding figures.

0084<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> depicts a procedure <b>1100</b> in an example implementation in which an animation is displayed in conjunction with removal of a key lock of a mobile communications device. An unlock screen <b>120</b> is displayed by a mobile communications device <b>102</b> that indicates that one or more keys of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> are locked (block <b>1102</b>).

0085If an input at the mobile communications device <b>102</b> is detected to remove the lock, an animation is displayed that gives an appearance that the unlock screen is a page that is being turned and the lock of the one of more keys is removed (block <b>1104</b>). A variety of different inputs may be detected, such as opening (e.g., via sliding) of the mobile communications device <b>102</b> as illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, via a gesture as illustrated in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, and so on.

0086<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref> depicts a procedure <b>1200</b> in an example implementation in which a clock is displayed. A clock is displayed on a display device of a mobile communications device <b>102</b> in response to a waking of the display device (block <b>1202</b>). For example, the mobile communications device <b>102</b> may turn the display device <b>116</b> off to conserve power after a specified amount of time has passed since the mobile communications device <b>102</b> was locked, since an input was received, and so on. The display device <b>116</b> may then be woke in response to an input, such as a press of a button by a user, movement of the mobile communications device <b>102</b>, and so on.

0087The display of the clock is minimized after a specified amount of time has passed since the waking of the display device (block <b>1204</b>). For example, the display of the clock <b>502</b> in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> may be minimized to a corner of the display device <b>116</b> as shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>. Thus, in this example, the display of the clock <b>502</b> is also moved to a corner. A variety of other examples are also contemplated.

0088<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 13</figref> depicts a procedure <b>1300</b> in an example implementation in which a condense mechanism is employed with notifications. An unlock screen <b>120</b> of a mobile communications device <b>102</b> is updated to include notifications of events that have occurred since a last time the mobile communications device <b>102</b> was locked (block <b>1302</b>). A variety of different events may cause output of a notification, such as hardware (e.g., a battery low condition), software (e.g., reminders, receipt of communications), and so on.

0089If a number of notifications that are to be output on the unlock screen exceeds a specified number, the notifications are condensed into a single condensed notification to be output via the unlock screen that references a type and number of the notifications (block <b>1304</b>). For example, the notification <b>716</b> acts to condense notifications <b>704</b>-<b>708</b>, <b>712</b>, <b>714</b> by referencing the type of notification (e.g., missed call, text message, voicemail, and so on) and a number for a respective type.

0090The notifications are rearranged as subsequent notifications are received if the number of the notifications that are to be output on the unlock screen does not exceed the specified number (block <b>1306</b>). For example, the rearranging may be performed so that the notifications do not obscure each other, that the notifications do not obscure an image that acts as a background (e.g., wallpaper) for the unlock screen <b>120</b>, and so on.

0091Example Mobile Communications Device

0092<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 14</figref> illustrates various components of an example device <b>1400</b> that can be implemented in various embodiments as any type of a mobile communication device to implement embodiments of devices, features, and systems for mobile communications. For example, device <b>1400</b> can be implemented as any of the mobile communications devices <b>102</b> described with reference to respective <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 1-13</figref>. Device <b>1400</b> can also be implemented to access a network-based service, such as a content service.

0093Device <b>1400</b> includes input(s) <b>1402</b> that may include Internet Protocol (IP) inputs. Device <b>1400</b> further includes communication interface(s) <b>1404</b> that can be implemented as any one or more of a wireless interface, any type of network interface, and as any other type of communication interface. A network interface provides a connection between device <b>1400</b> and a communication network by which other electronic and computing devices can communicate data with device <b>1400</b>. A wireless interface enables device <b>1400</b> to operate as a mobile communication device for wireless communications.

0094Device <b>1400</b> also includes one or more processors <b>1406</b> (e.g., any of microprocessors, controllers, and the like) which process various computer-executable instructions to control the operation of device <b>1400</b> and to communicate with other electronic devices. Device <b>1400</b> can be implemented with computer-readable media <b>1408</b>, such as one or more memory components, examples of which include random access memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory (e.g., any one or more of a read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.).

0095Computer-readable media <b>1408</b> provides data storage to store content and data <b>1410</b>, as well as device applications and any other types of information and/or data related to operational aspects of device <b>1400</b>. For example, an operating system <b>1412</b> can be maintained as a computer application with the computer-readable media <b>1408</b> and executed on processor(s) <b>1406</b>. Device applications can also include a communication manager module <b>1414</b> (which may be used to provide telephonic functionality) and a media manager <b>1416</b>.

0096Device <b>1400</b> also includes an audio and/or video output <b>1418</b> that provides audio and/or video data to an audio rendering and/or display system <b>1420</b>. The audio rendering and/or display system <b>1420</b> can be implemented as integrated component(s) of the example device <b>1400</b>, and can include any components that process, display, and/or otherwise render audio, video, and image data. Device <b>1400</b> can also be implemented to provide a user tactile feedback, such as vibrate and haptics.

0097Generally, the blocks may be representative of modules that are configured to provide represented functionality. Further, any of the functions described herein can be implemented using software, firmware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manual processing, or a combination of these implementations. The terms “module,” “functionality,” and “logic” as used herein generally represent software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. In the case of a software implementation, the module, functionality, or logic represents program code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more computer readable memory devices. The features of the techniques described above are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors.

0098Although the invention has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claimed invention.